Legislature: Health care

Painful best describes the $11 million in cuts facing the state Department of Human Services, executive director Lisa-Michelle Church told lawmakers Thursday.

The department is proposing cutbacks of $3.6 million in one-time funding and $8.8 million in ongoing funds.

The cutback proposals maintain as much federal matching money as possible, and they have the least negative impact on programs and do not force layoffs of any of the department's 5,000 employees, she said.

Programs that were appropriated funds but hadn't gotten under way will be postponed or eliminated, such as a drug court program in San Juan County. Also, the 55 disabled Utahns eligible for services next year won't receive them if lawmakers approve the cutbacks.

A 3 percent cutback in the the state Department of Health's $3 billion budget was also proposed, again with an eye to maintaining federal matching funds, said executive director David Sundwall. Programs such as public awareness campaigns were offered up for reduction, but they noted that the vast majority of the money goes to counties for immunizations, child-care license monitoring, and disease control and prevention.